1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of vehicles used in the mining and construction industries, and more particularly, to a water truck body with an integral open access water tank comprised of a plurality of perforated steel cylinders arranged within a tubular steel support system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Water tanks are typically used in the mining and construction industry for fugitive dust control and haul road safety, among other things. In conventional water tucks, the water tank itself is made of a walled steel baffle system in which separate walled compartments are configured within generally rectangular and/or rounded steel outer walls. The inner walls have holes in them to allow water to pass from one inner compartment into another. The entire tank is capped with a steel ceiling that is welded to the outer walls. The steel ceiling comprises one or more manholes and a fill access port. Baffle systems are typically used within the tank of a water truck to sequester and encapsulate the water within compartments, thereby minimizing water surges that can cause vehicular water tanks to roll over.
During use and over time, the water sloshing within a conventional water tank can cause the baffle system to be damaged and require maintenance. (As the tank empties, the sloshing velocity increases, which causes further problems.) With a conventional walled steel baffle system, personnel must enter the tank to complete the needed repairs. which creates a “confined space” hazard situation. As an individual moves from compartment to compartment within the tank, regardless of whether the compartments (or chambers) are accessed through an open hatch or a hatch with a door, the further the individual goes into the tank, the greater the potential for confined space hazard becomes.
The present invention solves this problem by providing a baffle system that is removable for servicing or maintenance outside of the tank, thereby requiring no physical entry into the tank by a person. Once all of the perforated steel cylinders (baffles) of the present invention have been removed, the entire tank is open at the top, which allows for inspection and/or maintenance of the internal support structure that entraps the baffles when in place. Not only is there no need to enter the tank for baffle servicing, but also there is no longer any confined space within the tank.
There has been some innovation in the field of vehicular tanks for carrying fluids such as fuels, oils and water. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,832,501 (Durand, 1956) discloses a tank with a centrally disposed baffle plate. The baffle plate has no corners so as to permit restricted flow of liquid within the tank, thereby preventing rapid shifting of liquid. A plurality of cylindrical baffles is situated within the tank. Each cylindrical baffle has inwardly extending notches (or bevels) on opposite sides of the baffle and at each end of the baffle for restricting flow of liquid within the tank. The notches in the cylindrical baffles are misaligned with the omitted corners of the baffle plate so as to cause a tortuous path of flow for the liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,877 (Wright, 1965) provides a tank with movable baffles. Each baffle member has an outer wall and a generally hollow interior, as well as an opening in the wall to permit liquid to flow relatively freely into and out of the baffle member. The baffle members are supported so that they can move generally parallel to the direction of acceleration of the tank independently of one another and of the tank itself. The baffle members serve to minimize surging of liquid within the tank, dissipate the energy of the liquid, and prevent development of excessive liquid pressures. In a preferred embodiment, each baffle member is a commercially available circular cross-sectioned 55-gallon steel drum, modified by having both ends removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,256 (Reber, 2009) discloses a baffling system for vehicle-mounted tanks in which circular disc-shaped head baffles are antipodally positioned with respect to each other; these disc-shaped head baffles attenuate forward- and rearward-directed liquid surges. The baffling system further comprises a plurality of longitudinal baffles that attenuate side-to-side liquid surges. The longitudinal baffles are preferably mounted parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tank and positioned below a horizontal plane through the center of the tank.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2014/0361019 (Caroleo et al.) provides a tank with a main chamber and a plurality of sub-chambers within the main chamber. The sub-chambers are preferably cylindrical in shape with a bottom end and a top end. The top ends of the sub-chambers are adapted to be received by openings in the top of the tank so that the top ends of the sub-chambers can be accessed from the top of the tank. The bottom ends of the sub-chambers are adapted to be received by indentations in the bottom of the tank; in one embodiment, the bottom end is supported by a wedge. Gates that are releasably attached to the sub-chambers and located at the bottom and top ends of the sub-chambers allow access to the interior of the sub-chambers. In one embodiment, the gate on the bottom end of the sub-chamber is semi-circular in shape, which allows only a portion of the bottom end of the sub-chamber to be releasably closed by the gate. In a preferred embodiment, pairs of the cylindrical sub-chambers are arranged longitudinally within the main chamber, and each cylindrical sub-chamber is attached to its respective adjacent cylindrical sub-chamber and to the inner surface of the wall of the main chamber via plates.